'Luigi Mangione Access to Health Care Act' ballot measure in California honors suspected killer

A newly proposed California ballot initiative has been named after Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The "Luigi Mangione Access to Health Care Act" was submitted to the California attorney general’s office and seeks to prohibit insurance companies from being able to "delay, deny or modify any medical procedure or medication" recommended by a licensed physician in cases where consequences could include "disability, death, amputation, permanent disfigurement, loss or reduction of any bodily function.” The proposal was filed by Los Angeles attorney Paul Eisner.

The terms “delay” and “deny” reference the book titled “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About it." When Mangione allegedly carried out Thompson’s murder in Manhattan on December 4, the words “delay, deny, and depose” were reportedly found inscribed on bullet casings at the scene.

Eisner defended the decision to name the measure after Mangione, arguing that it ensures the initiative gains attention. When asked why he named it accused killer, Eisner told CBS 8, “For a very simple reason: it is getting the attention it needs, because sometimes things require publicity.” 

“People are tired of carriers, of insurance companies denying them health care,” Eisner added, while distancing himself from Mangione’s alleged methods. “I agree with what he was arguing, but I don’t support his method. What I am doing is the right way to do it.”

The proposed name has drawn sharp criticism, according to a report by Fox News. Journalist Gerald Posner posted on X, “THE LUIGI MANGIONI ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE ACT” Seriously???? A ballot initiative about health care submitted today to the California Attorney General is named after the accused killer. Crazy.”

Podcast producer Leigh Wolf also weighed in, writing, “I’m starting to suspect the Democrats in charge of California might actually just be simple road side lunatics after all.”

The public comment period for the initiative runs until April 25, after which the attorney general’s office will review the proposal and assign it an official title. To qualify for the November 2026 ballot, the measure requires 546,000 signatures from California voters.

Mangione has been charged with murder in both New York and federal courts and has pleaded not guilty. In the wake of the alleged crime, he has gained significant support from some Americans who have sided with his actions.